Going on our third year into pandemic life, we’re all still adjusting mentally and physically to this abnormal state. Many of us feel the thrill and stress of starting to hang out again and are getting back to life or to life as it will be going forward. Living through a pandemic has impacted everything, including parenting and grandparenting, exercising, working (from home), and especially how we see ourselves.
Zoom face is a real thing.
All of our video meetings and video get togethers and life passage events (weddings, mitzvahs, parties) on zoom have taken a toll on us. We focus on our faces, and those features and wrinkles seem larger than life. We cannot adjust the lighting as we can when we are together in person to soften everything.
Or for those into Instagram, Instagram face is a real thing. This creates an issue not just for Boomers, but goes to even Millennials, who after analyzing themselves on social media decide to consider anything and everything to be able to look at themselves in these new ways. I am worried that it is going to hit as low in age as teens on Tik Tok!
Right around the holidays 2021, the articles about Botox and Fillers began to appear everywhere. Cosmopolitan Magazine gives us “Face Fillers: Your 2022 Guide to the Cost, the Before-and-Afters, and the Pain. Consider this your no-bullsh*t breakdown on all things filler,” by Marisa Petrarca, December 27, 2021. I wonder how many of us asked for Botox and fillers for a holiday present!
This Grandma was introduced to “theskimm” daily newsletter by my eldest daughter, and I love their summaries on the daily news. They published “The Anti-Aging Movement, Skimm’d,” which summarizes the history of the anti-aging market and movement, and even charts when and wrinkles appear and what can be done for them. They end with recommending a visit to a dermatologist, but good luck if you can get an appointment with any professional that does Botox or fillers. That is how crazy our world has become because of the changes to our lives due to COVID.
How do you choose what or where? There are even articles on this. See, “Botox and Fillers Are Both Popular Procedures—So Which One’s Right for You? Dermatologists Explain,” by Jennifer Larson, Parade Magazine, December 21, 2021.
Then, right at or after the holidays came the articles that abound that deal with the warnings and concerns about too much, of course. See, “6 Post-Botox Mistakes Way Too Many People Are Making. Yikes,” by Pia Velasco, Apple News, January 10, 2022.
For those who are thinking of stepping their toes, or I should say their wrinkles into the world of cosmetic dermatology, who knew that if you overdo, there is something you can do about it! See, “Amy Schumer Gets the Fillers in Her Face Dissolved: ‘Turns Out I Was Already Full’
“Thank God you can dissolve them,” Amy Schumer wrote on Instagram,” by Glenn Garner, People Magazine, December 26, 2021. Lip fillers, I think, can make people look scary or like a fish. See, also, “Everything That Happens When You Dissolve Lip Filler. The complete process explained,” by Tatiana Bido, Features Editor New Beauty, Decemeber 23, 2021.
Finally, the trend among celebrities is to show their faces without makeup. However, know that they are not saying that their faces have not been touched up by Botox or Fillers! See, “Most Radiant Celebrity Makeup-Free Moments of 2022: Bethenny Frankel, Gigi Hadid and More,” by Samantha Holender, US Magazine, March 9, 2022.
The good news is that Zoom is being challenged as being detrimental in a business environment, for exactly what we think, Zoom face concentration. See, “Study suggests video meetings are crushing creativity,” by Seth Borenstein, ABC News, April 26, 2022.
“Brainstorming dampened in video meetings. Study shows that [v]ideo meetings dampen brainstorming because we are so hyper-focused on the face in that box that we don’t let our eyes and minds wander as much, a new study found. Staring isn’t good for creativity. While it’s rude to stare at someone in real life, it’s expected when on a video call, researchers said.”
Let’s hope that the days our face is seen mostly in a small box are behind us, but this Grandma thinks that the Botox and Filler trend is here to stay. What is horrible for us Boomers is that we are fighting Millennials for the coveted appointments with doctors.
Just remember, there is a recommended waiting period of two weeks before and after fillers and Botox for you to have vaccines or boosters to avoid swelling or inflammation according to one of the best sources, “Dr. Google.” But really, wait for that appointment with a real doctor before doing anything.
Joy,
Mema
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